THE REPUBLIC O F UGAN D A OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL www.oag.go.ug | E-mail: [email protected] A VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT REPORT ON THE MANAGEMENT OF WETLANDS IN UGANDA BY THE WETLANDS MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT (WMD) UNDER THE MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENT (MWE) A REPORT BY THE AUDITOR GENERAL DECEMBER, 2018 THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA A Value For Money Audit Report on the Management of Wetlands in Uganda by the Wetlands Management Department (WMD) under the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) A Report by the Auditor General December, 2018 AUDITOR GENERAL’S MESSAGE 24th December 2018 The Rt. Hon. Speaker of Parliament Parliament of Uganda Kampala. VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT REPORT ON THE MANAGEMENT OF WETLANDS IN UGANDA BY THE WETLANDS MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENT In accordance with Article 163(3) of the Constitution, I hereby submit my report on the audit undertaken on the Management of Wetlands in Uganda by the Wetlands Management Department, Ministry of Water and Environment. My office intends to carry out a follow-up at an appropriate time regarding actions taken in relation to the recommendations in this report. I would like to thank my staff who undertook this audit and the staff of the Ministry of Water and Environment for the assistance offered to my staff during the period of the audit. John F.S. Muwanga AUDITOR GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................................II LIST OF FIGURES..............................................................................................................................................II ABBREVIATIONS...............................................................................................................................................III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................IV CHAPTER ONE...................................................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................2 1.1 BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................................................2 1.2 MOTIVATION..........................................................................................................................................2 1.3 DESCRIPTION OF THE AUDIT AREA.....................................................................................................3 1.4 AUDIT OBJECTIVE.................................................................................................................................5 1.5 AUDIT QUESTIONS................................................................................................................................5 1.6 AUDIT SCOPE........................................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER TWO..................................................................................................................................................6 AUDIT METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................................................7 2.1 SAMPLING............................................................................................................................................7 2.2 DATA COLLECTION METHODS..............................................................................................................8 CHAPTER THREE..............................................................................................................................................9 SYSTEMS AND PROCESS DESCRIPTION..........................................................................................................10 3.1 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF KEY PLAYERS.............................................................................10 3.2 PROCESS DESCRIPTION......................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER FOUR...............................................................................................................................................13 FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................................................14 A. STATUS OF WETLANDS COUNTRYWIDE.............................................................................................14 B. MEASURES TO RESTORE, PROTECT AND MANAGE WETLANDS.......................................................17 4.1 PERMITS AND LAND TITLES IN WETLANDS.......................................................................................17 4.2 RESTORATION OF WETLANDS.............................................................................................................19 4.3 DEMARCATION AND GAZETTEMENT OF WETLANDS.........................................................................23 4.4 PROMOTION OF KNOWLEDGE ON MANAGEMENT OF WETLANDS...................................................27 4.5 COORDINATION BETWEEN WMD AND NEMA....................................................................................36 GLOSSARY OF TERMS.......................................................................................................................................33 Appendix I: Organogram...................................................................................................................................33 Appendix II: Documents Reviewed...................................................................................................................34 Appendix III: Interviews conducted..................................................................................................................35 Appendix IV: Intact vs. degraded wetlands by region.......................................................................................35 Appendix V: Projects approved by NEMA in wetlands without consultation with WMD..................................36 Management of Wetlands in Uganda by the Wetlands Management Department (WMD) under the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) | A Report by the Auditor General I LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Funding for wetlands management by WMD......................................................................................5 Table 2: Uganda’s drainage basins and Wetland systems sampled for audit...................................................7 Table 3: Change in wetland coverage by drainage basin (1994-2015)..............................................................14 Table 4: Intact vs. degraded wetland area presented by drainage basin.........................................................15 Table 5: Major forms of degradation in sampled districts...............................................................................16 Table 6: Planned vs. actual restoration............................................................................................................19 Table 7: Demarcation targets vs. actual...........................................................................................................24 Table 8: Breakdown of expenditure on demarcation-related activities...........................................................24 Table 9: Pillars and beacons purchased for demarcation vs. actual used......................................................25 Table 10: Status of wetland coding and gazettement......................................................................................26 Table 11: Budget performance for capacity building by WMD........................................................................29 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Degraded wetland area per drainage basin as a % of countrywide degradation.............................15 Figure 2: A section of Lubigi wetland re-generating after restoration............................................................20 Figure 3: Re-encroachment on Kinawataka-Butabika wetland after restoration...........................................21 Management of Wetlands in Uganda by the Wetlands Management Department (WMD) under the Ministry of Water and II Environment (MWE) | A Report by the Auditor General ABBREVIATIONS DEA Directorate of Environment Affairs DEAP District Environment Action Plan DEC District Environment Committee DEO District Environment Officer EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EPPU Environmental Protection Police Unit GIS Geographical Information System JICA Japanese International Cooperation Agency LG Local Government MLHUD Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development MPS Ministerial Policy Statement MWE Ministry of Water and Environment NDP II National Development Plan II (2015/16 – 2019/20) NEA National Environment Act NEMA National Environment Management Authority NWIS National Wetland Information System PB Project Brief SPR Sector Performance Report ToRs Terms of Reference WMD Wetlands Management Department Management of Wetlands in Uganda by the Wetlands Management Department (WMD) under the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) | A Report by the Auditor General III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Wetlands Management Department (WMD) is charged with